As important as walking and talking, swimming is a skill for life!
Wai o Rua Swim School offers classes to suit a wide range of ages and abilities. Each programme is designed to develop your child's swimming ability as well as teach personal and group survival and rescue techniques.
Learn more about the following progression levels for your child using our drop down menu below.
- Baby classes
- Pre-schooler classes
- Water confidence classes
- Gliding classes – Gliding Stingrays
- Beginner stroking – Junior Dolphins
- Middle level stroking – Intermediate Dolphins
- Beginner Breathers – Advanced Dolphins
- Middle level Breathers – Junior Sharks
- Advanced Breathers – Intermediate Sharks
- Transition into 25m Pool – Advanced Sharks
Babies/Toddlers
Jellyfish Babies (3-12 months)
In this level you and your child will learn:
- Enter and exit pool safely together
- Use Verbal cues for water familiarization and submersion
- Supported floating techniques
- Paddle and kick actions for movement in water
Jellyfish Babies (12-18 months)
In this level you and your child will learn:
- Confidence in water
- Submersion with verbal cues
- Supported Floating
- Kick and paddle action.
Jellyfish Tots (18-36 months)
In this level you and your child will learn:
- Confidence in water
- Confidence in submersion
- Assisted floating
- Paddle and kick
- Assisted U turn
Pre-School
Jellyfish Pre-Schoolers (3-4 years)
Transition into independence (Parent out of water)
In this level your child will learn:
- Safe entry
- Independence and balance control moving through water
- Confidence independent submersion
- Floatation skills
Water Confidence Starfish (4 years +)
In this level your child will learn:
- Confidence and independent movement through water and submersion
- Beginner breath control
- Independent floating on front and back
- Confidence jumping into deep water with U turn back to poolside
Assessment for progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Submerge confidently
- Float independently
School Age
Gliding Stingrays (4 years +)
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Submerge confidently
- Float independently
In this level your child will learn:
- Frog float
- Streamline body position
- Correct kick action with board
- Streamline kick
- Introduction to dolphin body
- Seated dives
Assessment for progression Criteria – Swimmer must be able to:
- Streamline glide
- Correct kick action with board
- Streamline kick with efficient propulsion
Junior Dolphins
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Streamline glide
- Correct kick action with board
- Streamline kick with efficient propulsion
In this level your child will learn:
- Freestyle assisted 6m
- Backstroke assisted 6m
- Intro to survival breaststroke (arm action)
- Dolphin body 6m
- Horizontal rotation assisted
- Seated dives
Assessment for progression Criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Demonstrate correct freestyle assisted 6m
- Demonstrate correct backstroke assisted 6m
- Correct kick action with propulsion 6m
Intermediate Dolphins
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Demonstrate correct freestyle assisted 6m
- Demonstrate correct backstroke assisted 6m
- Correct kick action with propulsion 6m
In this level your child will learn:
- Freestyle 8m unassisted
- Backstroke 8m unassisted
- Intro to survival breaststroke kick action
- Dolphin body action unassisted 8m
- Horizontal rotation unassisted
- Sculling
- Kneeling dives
Assessment for progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Swim freestyle 8m
- Swim backstroke 8m
- Strong propulsion kick 8m
Advanced Dolphins
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Swim freestyle 8m 2. Swim backstroke 8m
- Strong propulsion kick 8m
In this level your child will learn:
- Freestyle roll to breathe 10m
- Backstroke 10m
- Survival breaststroke development
- Butterfly underwater arm action development
- Sculling
- Kneeling/stand dives
Assessment for progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Demonstrate 10m freestyle with roll to breathe action
- Demonstrate 10m backstroke
- Consistent propulsion kick
Junior Sharks
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Demonstrate 10m freestyle with roll to breathe action
- Demonstrate 10m backstroke
- Consistent propulsion kick
In this level your child will learn:
- Freestyle 15m bilateral breathing
- Backstroke 15m with rotation
- Survival breaststroke 10m
- Butterfly arm action development
- Sculling
- Standing dives
Assessment for progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Demonstrate freestyle bilateral breathing 15m
- Demonstrate backstroke rotation 15m
- Consistent correct kick action
Intermediate Sharks
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Confident in deep water
- Demonstrate freestyle bilateral breathing 15m
- Demonstrate backstroke rotation 15m
- Consistent correct kick action
In this level your child will learn:
- Freestyle bilateral breathing 20m
- Backstroke rotation 20m
- Breaststroke with intro to breath 10m
- Introduction to butterfly 10m
- Introduction to treading water
- Forward flip
- Race stance dive
Assessment for progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Efficient freestyle 20m
- Efficient backstroke 20m
- Efficient kick propulsion
Advanced Sharks
Transition into 25m pool
To enter this level child must be able to:
- Confident in deep water
- Efficient freestyle 20m
- Efficient backstroke 20m
- Efficient kick propulsion
In this level your child will further develop skills in:
- Freestyle bilateral breathing 25-50m
- Backstroke 25-50m
- Breaststroke development 15-25m
- Butterfly development 15-25m
- Introduction to tumble turns
- Tread water 3 minutes
- Off the block dives
Assessment to progression criteria – swimmer must be able to:
- Efficient freestyle 25m
- Efficient backstroke 25m
- Demonstrate breaststroke 15m
